Rainier Valley Earth Day event

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Neighbor News

Rainier Valley Earth Day event

SE Seattle's annual Bridge to Beach Earth Day cleanup is coming up on Sunday, April 21, just one day before Earth Day. Register here to participate.

Celebrate Earth Day with a Rainier Valley neighborhood clean-up team on April 21, 2013.

Theme: If it is Broke, Fix it!

Type: Weeding/Landscaping/Mulching, Litter pick up, and Graffiti paint out.

Locations: Business Districts, Residential Streets, Senior Housing, Traffic Circles, School Grounds, Lake Washington Shoreline, Play Grounds, Public Gardens, Parks and Trails,
Libraries and Light Rail station areas

SEATTLE, WA. – April 2 – If it Is Broke, fix it! So often we ignore what's wrong with our neighborhood. The problems become irritating background noise that we ignore or internalize. But, they don’t disappear and can become a quality of life issue.

Thankfully, Earth Day gives us the opportunity to see our neighborhood with a whole new outlook. SE Seattle's Annual Bridge to Beach Earth Day Clean-up is coming up on Sunday, April 21, just one day before Earth Day! Representatives from HomeSight, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund and the Rainier Chamber of Commerce have joined forces for the 4th Annual Bridge to Beach event to assist SE Seattle residents, business and community groups organize their own clean ups. Clean up teams can let their imagination run wild: litter pick up, landscaping and weeding, graffiti paint out, knock down or build a new structure.
"It is no longer acceptable to throw things away just because they are broken”, said Susan Davis of the Rainier Chamber “we live in a time when if it’s broken we fix it!"

Do you see a weedy overgrown parking strip or graffiti covered park bench in your community? Then weeding or painting is exactly what your Bridge to Beach 2013 project should be! As has been the tradition, this is a community challenge project with prizes.

The 2012 Bridge to Beach winners were:

Most Artistic Paint Out – Vietnamese Friendship Association & Seattle University Vietnamese Student Association
Best Down in the Dirt weeding/planting – Rainier Beach Community Club
Greenest Thumb – Othello Park Alliance, MLK Business Association, African Eagles, The Station @ Othello
Clean Slate Garbage Pickup – Communities Uniting Rainier Beach (CURB)
Best Traffic Circle Beautification – Brendon Works & Friends
Junior Conservationists – Graham Hill PTA
Best Community Spirit – Emerald City Bible Fellowship
Largest Volunteer Turnout – Rainier Avenue Church
Most Enthusiastic Group – The Great Green Room
Most Innovative Project – Brandon Triangle Community Garden
Best Beautification Collaboration – Salon Adidez & Sound Steps

In 2013, we will continue with the same tried and true categories. Last year, we added a new aspect to the B2B:

Eyesore Identification. Are there derelict properties or tagging that you wish you could report? You certainly can’t trespass on private property and commit your own guerrilla paint out. Instead, we are collecting those addresses that need attention and will contact the owners ourselves. Please report those properties' addresses to gro.awthgisemoh|haras#gro.awthgisemoh|haras and we will follow up.

For more information, please contact Yun Pitre (vog.elttaes|ertip.nuy#vog.elttaes|ertip.nuy or 386.1924). The 2013 Bridge to Beach Makeover is sponsored by the Department of Neighborhoods - City of Seattle, HomeSight, Rainier Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Neighborhood Group, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund , and Seattle Public Utilities.